Molds (i.e., toxigenic and other septate molds) are ubiquitous in the environment. Mold is the common name for various types of fungi. Molds are usually found in moist, warm environments. Because molds grow in wet or moist indoor environments, people are exposed to molds or their byproducts through either direct contact, or through the air, if molds or mold byproducts are aerosolized. Exposure to molds can cause a number of adverse effects including allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and infections, particularly in individuals with immune system deficiencies.
Adverse effects from molds may occur when individuals are exposed to large doses of chemicals, known as mycotoxins, which are fungal metabolites (Samson et al., 1985; Burge, 1990; Flannigan et al., 1991). Mycotoxins have toxic effects ranging from severe irritations, such as allergic reactions and asthma, to immuno-suppression and cancer. Most mycotoxins are cytotoxic and exert their effects by interfering with vital cellular processes such as protein, RNA, and DNA synthesis. As a result, mycotoxins may be damaging to the skin, the lungs, the gut, and the like. The combined outcome may increase the susceptibility of the exposed individual to infectious diseases and, possibly, to cancer. Almost all of the studies to date focus on disease induced by mycotoxins ingested in contaminated food (Baxter et al., 1981), but mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungal spores and can enter the body through the respiratory tract.
In heavily contaminated environments, neurotoxic symptoms related to airborne mycotoxin exposure have been reported (Croft et al., 1986). Skin is another potential route of exposure to the mycotoxins of several fungi which have caused cases of severe dermatosis (Vennewald and Wollina, 2005). These same molds may cause invasive mold infection among patients with diseases which render the patient immuno-suppressed such as leukemia, lymphoma, and many cancers (Kontoyiannis, DP et al, 2005). The mold infections in such patients are often fatal with a documented fatally rate of 92% (Paterson and Singh, 1999).
There are no current methods that have been developed for determining the presence of mycotoxins in patient tissues or body fluids. There are, however, methods available to the environmental areas and to the food industry to determine levels of mycotoxins, such as tricothecenes, Aflatoxins B1, B2, D1, and D2, and Ochratoxin A (e.g., Envirologix and VICAM kits) in environmental samples and foods.
A definitive and early diagnosis of a fungal infection is crucial for patient treatment and management. A diagnosis of a fungal infection is often rendered late in the disease process, often even as late as autopsy (Kontoyiannis et al, 2000; Vogeser et al., 1997). The reasons for the late diagnosis of fungal infections include the lack of good clinical specimens, the difficultly in differentiating invasive mold infections from other types of infections, the lack of identification of molds with special stains in pathological specimens (i.e., these assays have a high error rate, a low sensitivity, and low specificity), the lack of an ability to obtain an antibody-based diagnosis in immuno-compromised patients, and the lack of assays to determine the presence of mycotoxins or fungal DNA in the tissue or fluids of those patients.
Thus, a reliable, sensitive, specific, and rapid method for mold detection in patient body fluids and tissues is needed. Applicant's present invention is based on the idea that if mycotoxins can be identified in patient tissue or body fluids, the identification of mycotoxins may serve as a potential diagnostic method 1.) to identify patients at risk for developing disease states related to mold infections, or 2.) to rapidly determine the cause of diseases related to mold infections so that effective treatment regimens can be developed for patients exposed to molds and experiencing symptoms resulting from mold infection. Applicant's present invention is also based on the development of a reliable, sensitive, specific, and rapid method for detecting fungal DNA in patient body fluids and tissues.
The present invention provides methods for detecting and identifying, in patient tissue and body fluid specimens, 1.) mycotoxins produced by fungi, and 2.) fungal DNA from fungal spores. The present invention overcomes the deficiencies in the art by providing reliable, sensitive, and specific diagnostic tests for the presence of fungi and fungal toxins in patient tissue and body fluids. Applicant has developed mycotoxin and fungal DNA extraction procedures and has supplemented those methods by developing detection methods. The detection methods employ antibody-based identification for mycotoxins and, for fungal DNA, use amplification of DNA with primers that specifically and selectively amplify fungal DNA isolated from patient tissues and body fluids.
In one illustrative embodiment, a method is provided of identifying a specific fungal species in patient tissue or body fluid. The method comprises the steps of extracting and recovering DNA of the fungal species from the patient tissue or body fluid, amplifying the DNA, hybridizing a probe to the DNA to specifically identify the fungal species, and specifically identifying the fungal species.
In another embodiment, a method is provided of identifying a mycotoxin in patient tissue or body fluid. The method comprises the steps of extracting and recovering the mycotoxin from the patient tissue or body fluid, contacting the mycotoxin with an antibody directed against the mycotoxin, and identifying the myocotoxin. In another illustrative embodiment the method can further comprise the step of quantifying the mycotoxin. In illustrative embodiments, the body fluid can be selected from the group consisting of urine, nasal secretions, nasal washes, bronchial lavages, bronchial washes, spinal fluid, sputum, gastric secretions, seminal fluid, other reproductive tract secretions, lymph fluid, whole blood, serum, and plasma. In other illustrative embodiments, the mycotoxin can be selected from the group consisting of tricothecenes, Aflatoxin B1, Aflatoxin B2, Aflatoxin D1, Aflatoxin D2, and Ochratoxin A. In yet other illustrative embodiments, the tissue can be derived from a patient tissue biopsy and can be in a 10% formalin solution or in a paraffin block. In another embodiment, the antibody is bound to a bead dyed with a fluorochrome.
In yet another embodiment, a method is provided of determining if a patient is at risk for or has developed a disease state related to a fungal infection. The method comprises the steps of extracting and recovering a mycotoxin from a tissue or body fluid of the patient, contacting the mycotoxin with an antibody directed against the toxin, identifying the mycotoxin, and determining if the patient is at risk for or has developed the disease state related to the fungal infection.
In still another embodiment, a method is provided of determining if a patient is at risk for or has developed a disease state related to a fungal infection. The method comprises the steps of extracting and recovering DNA of a specific fungal species from a tissue or body fluid of the patient, amplifying the DNA, hybridizing a probe to the DNA to specifically identify the fungal species, and specifically identifying the fungal species.
In another embodiment, a kit is provided. The kit can comprise any one of the probes described herein and/or any one of the primer sets described herein. The kit can also comprise components for the extraction and recovery of DNA and components for DNA amplification and instructions for use of the kit.
In yet another embodiment, a kit is provided. The kit comprises components for the extraction and recovery of a mycotoxin from body fluid or tissue of a patient. In other embodiments, the kit can further comprise components for identification of the mycotoxin and instructions for use of the kit.
In still another embodiment, a kit is provided. The kit comprises a purified nucleic acid with a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 89 or with a complement of a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 89.
In another illustrative embodiment, a purified nucleic acid is provided. The nucleic acid comprises a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 89 or a complement of a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 89. In another illustrative embodiment, a nucleic acid is provided that hybridizes under highly stringent conditions to a sequence comprising a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 89 or that hybridizes under highly stringent conditions to a complement of a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 89.
In yet another embodiment, a method of detecting an antibody to a mycotoxin in a patient tissue extract or body fluid is provided. The method comprises the steps of contacting the patient tissue extract or body fluid with a mycotoxin or a mycotoxin antigen coupled to a bead wherein the bead is dyed with a fluorochrome, and detecting the antibody.